Red Sox Memories: Greatest outfields in franchise history

The Boston Red Sox have been fortunate enough to have some great outfield groupings but just which was the best?  Here is a look at three possible choices.

Just what were the greatest outfields in Boston Red Sox history? My approach is that the outfield had to remain in place and have a bit more life in baseball years than a mayfly.

The team would also – as one should and would expect – be reasonably successful. That would exclude a large chunk of Red Sox history. The 1920s and 1930s were not exactly the zenith of the franchise’s success. I used a five-year time frame and that certainly exceeds a mayfly and narrows it down. More on that later.

One specific area was the great post World War II Red Sox clubs that featured Ted Williams and Dom DiMaggio. DiMaggio is a player who one could argue is on the cusp of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, Williams and DiMaggio had little of substance to make it a trifecta in the outfield. Unless, of course, one desires to add in Sam Mele, Stan Spence, or George Metkovich.

Of the trio’s I actually saw some play and will squeeze Williams into one of the formidable groupings. That means the possible bias of actually having witnessed their exploits and things were better – or were they? Time has a way of coloring and framing the past in a more positive image.

1911-1915

Tris Speaker, Harry Hooper, and Duffy Lewis first formed their offensive and defensive collective in 1910, but the five-years for 1911-1915 saw two World Series wins. Hooper and Speaker are in the HOF and Lewis hit .289 in his Red Sox career. What is of interest is this was never ranked on FanGraphs metrics as the best outfield in any one season. They averaged 13.8 fWar in that time frame. The Athletics and Tigers fared better.

Speaker was gone from Boston after 1915 and shipped to the Indians where he won his only batting title. Speaker was also the Most Valuable Player in 1912. All three were steady and productive on offense in an age that devalued the home run and elevated speed and defensive prowess.

Speaker is considered one of the great defensive players at his position noted for his remarkable ability to play shallow. That style resulted in the accumulation of both assists and double plays – may of those DP’s were unassisted. Speaker also transitioned from the Dead Ball Era to the Lively Ball Era both offensively and defensively.

One historical note with Speaker is he almost became a New York Giant. In 1907, Speaker arrived in Boston and the Red Sox were so impressed with his .158 average that he was not offered a contract in the offseason.  Speaker – a Texan – dropped in on John McGraw whose Giants were spring training in Marin, Texas, and offered his services.  McGraw refused – twice – and Speaker stayed with Boston.

Lewis was so adept at managing the incline in left field that it soon took on the name of “Duffy’s Cliff.” Lewis also reportedly had a strong arm and would routinely get 20+ assists.

The last is Hooper who covers the large Fenway Park (no bullpens) right field with skill and possibly the strongest arm of his era. Ed Barrow in his “My Fifty Years In Baseball” lays claim to this being the best defensive outfield he saw.

Then comes the Total Zone. How accurate is that metric?  The Red Sox twice led in TZ and cumulatively they were first over that period. In Bill James “Historical Baseball Abstract” he had this group as the best defensive outfield for three years – 1912, 1914, and 1915. To James, they were the best of the era. James also has them at the top in 1910. Good enough for me.

1954-1958

Now to fast forward to players who I have seen and are among my favorites. This is the 1954-1958 grouping that has the aforementioned Williams who needs no statistical introduction and Jim Piersall and Jackie Jensen.  Offensively this group had one weak link (Piersall) and defensively one weak link (Williams). Depending upon how one wishes to define weak.

Measured against their contemporaries the Red Sox averaged 15.2 fWAR in that five-year span and in 1956 had a 19.0 fWAR that was best in the American League. That 1956 season received a nice bounce as Piersall had a career-best .293, led the AL in doubles (40), games played (155), and was an All-Star. Piersall – a right-hand hitter – also had another career-best with 87 RBI.

Jensen was a personal favorite of mine and was a five-tool player. He bagged an MVP in 1958 and three times led the AL in RBI.  Speed?  Jensen led the AL in triples (11) in 1956 and steals (22) in 1954. Jensen – like Piersall – also won a Gold Glove Award. The former football running back had only one flaw – a deathly fear of flying. A fear that forced Jensen to sit out a season and retire early.

Defensively, Piersall was unmatched.  Casey Stengel was once asked about the ten greatest catches he ever saw and he said all were by Piersall. Arm, ability to go back on a ball or come in, cover the gaps – especially with Williams in left field – and you had it all for a defensive component.

Examining the rudimentary metrics of the time frame a surprise pops up – in 1955 and 1956 the Red Sox had the highest Total Zone in the American League. Within that is Piersall who as no surprise carries the load defensively. In the five year span, they had the highest TZ in the AL. But Williams is no donkey wandering around and in 1955 had a +7 TZ – one point better than Jensen. Piersall had the top TZ in the AL among centerfielders in four of the seasons.

Now a mention about the defensive Williams. When Teddy Ballgame first surfaced in Boston and for several years defense was an afterthought.  A distinct liability with unattentive and indifferent play, but the Williams I saw was different.  I was now old enough to understand the basics of outfield paly and saw Williams in many games. Yes – he could play The Wall, but he rarely missed a cutoff man and knew where and when to throw. Williams’ arm was not a noodle, but it was not Roberto Clemente.

The Red Sox teams of this era were rather forgettable and rarely made any inroads into being a legitimate impact on the league.  In 1954 the Indians won 111 games and the Red Sox a mere 69 games. The next four seasons they were bystanders as the New York Yankees won four straight pennants.

Interlude

Just what could have been starting in 1967 with an outfield of Reggie Smith, Carl Yastrzemski, and Tony Conigliaro. Yaz is now enshrined in the HOF and Smith was eventually traded.  Smith was a switch-hitter and a five-tool player, but only on occasion. An excellent centerfielder with a great arm.

Conigliaro was on the cusp of being a baseball superstar and a vaunted right-handed slugger who may have finished with 500+ career home runs. Jack Hamilton ended all that and Tony C. never recovered and was traded.

I never realized what an accomplished outfielder Tony Armas was as I also picture him as just a slugger. Armas played four seasons with the Red Sox and in 1984 hit 43 home runs and knocked in 123 RBI – both led the AL. Teamed with Jim Rice and Dwight Evans this was a good outfield even with Rice’s questionable defense.

As the decades rolled by Manny Ramirez was teamed with some excellent players such as Johnny Damon, Trot Nixon, and even though I hate to write it – J.D. Drew. But in the baseball free agency age, keeping players together for five seasons is a remarkable task.

The combination of Jackie Bradley jr, Andrew Benintendi, and Mookie Betts is finished before they put in five years together, but maybe that book is not closed? Bradley could be re-signed and Betts could return, but that is a low probability.

Together they had the defense and the offense may be weighted more heavily with Betts providing the bulk of the punch. The signs were promising as they are ranked among the best in the last four seasons and even topped in 2018 with a 23.1 fWAR thanks to Betts. Defensively FanGraphs had the Red Sox first in 2016 – Benintendi played only 34 games – and first in 2017 when Benintendi was a full-time player.

The Verdict

Just who is the best? One measure is to remove the weakest and that from my view is Jensen, Williams, and Piersall. The major contribution to the negative is they didn’t win anything.  This was a lackluster team whose main offense was built around the outfield. All three players were among my all times favorites but that bias does not make them the best.

Most certainly it would be great to create a compilation from all three teams or even from those not selected or with just a brief appearance in Boston.  Babe Ruth would be on the outfield, but I would avoid Carl Everett or Izzy Alcantara.

I saw Rice, Evans, and Lynn combination and as James has professed in his “Baseball Abstract” they were the best of the decade of the 1970s and that is both leagues. However, his weight of evidence also suggests that Hooper, Speaker, and Lewis were the best of their decade and of their era.  Fairly heady stuff.

What it comes down to is the eventual team performance and that is two World Series wins and a third after the Speaker appendage was shipped to Cleveland.  Statistically, they match up well with their peers just as the other two groupings do with their peers. If someone wishes to make a case for Rice, Lynn, and Evans they would most likely convince me – it is that close.

Sources: “Tris Speaker: The Rough-And-Tumble Life Of A Baseball Legend” by Timothy Gay, “Fenway 1912: The Birth of a Ballpark, a Championship Season, and Fenway’s Remarkable First Year” by Glenn Stout.